Imitation hour glass clock



Sept. 13, 1932. I ss 1,877,732

IMITATION HOUR GLASS CLOCK Filed Sept. 5, 1951 INVENTOR Henry Dreyfuss.

BY HIS ATTORNEY ak 1W Patented Sept. 13, 1932 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE HENRY DREYFUSS, or NEW YORK, N. Y., assraivoa 'ro THE sn'rn THOMAS oLocx GOMPANY, A CORPORATION or CONNECTICUT IMITATION HOUR GLASS CLOCK Application filed September 5, 1931. Serial No. 561,448.

This invention relates to silent running clocks, Watches, and other time keeping devices, and more particularly to a device simulating an hour glass visible from the front of the clock for indicating whether the clock is running.

One object of this invention is to provide a double-apertured dial behind which rotates an indicating disc having a pair of lines of changing width.

A further object is to provide a dial of the above nature upon which is a picture of an hour glass and including a pair of apertures representing the two glass containers for the sand.

A further object is to provide a device of this nature which will be simple in construc tion, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install and manipulate, compact, ornamental in appearance, and very eflicient and durable in use. I

l Vith these and other objects in view, there has been illustrated on the accompanying drawing, one form inwhich the invention may be conveniently embodied in practice.

In the drawing: v

Fig. 1 represents a face view of the clock dial embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken through the clock dial.

Fig. 3 is a face view of the indicating disc which is adapted to rotate behind the dial.

Referring now to the drawing in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the

numeral indicates a clock dial having imprinted or stamped thereon the usual numerals 11 representing the hours from 1 to 12. The time is indicated by a short hour hand 12 and a longer minute hand 13. The minute hand 18 is attached to the forward end of a center shaft 14, and said hour hand 12 is attached to the forward end of a tubular shaft surrounding said center shaft 14,

" as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The shafts 14 and 15 may be operated by any suitable clock mechanism, not shown.

Above the center of the front face of the dial 10 and located inside of the row of time indicating numerals 11, provision is made of a picture representing an hour glass supper and lower glass said containers of a conventional hour glass.

' concentrically mounted in back of the dial 10 is a rotating disc 19 preferably staked'on the forward end of a hollow bushing 20 slidable over the tubular hour hand shaft, 15. The rotating disc 19 is adapted tobe driven by means of a gear wheel 21' fastened tothe rear end of said bushing 20 and meshing with a suitable gear train of the clock mechanism.

The front face of the rotating disc 19 is provided with a pair of concentric colored lines 21 and 22, the widths of which vary continuously throughout their lengths. The outer line 21 is visible through the upper aperture 17 and decreases in width as the disc rotates in a clockwise direction, while the inner line 22 is visible through the lower aperture and progressively increases in width.

The vertical cross hatching on the lines 21 and 22, as shown on the drawing, represents, in this case, a red color, but it is to be understood that any other color may be used which is in harmony with the general color scheme of the clock dial and easing.

Operation In the operation of the clock having the invention installed therein, the continuous rotation of the disc 10 will cause the two colored lines 21 and 22 to pass behind the bulbous apertures 17 and 18 through which they will be visible. The operation of the usual hour glass will thus be closely simulated and the upper bulb 17 will appear to be drained of its imaginary sand while the lower bulb will appear to fill up with sand.

The gear train will preferably be so constructed that the sand of the imitation hour glass will drain completely from the upper bulb 17 to the lower bulb 18 once each minute.

While there has been disclosed in this specification one form. in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that this"form is shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosure but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is

1. In a time-keeping mechanism, a fixed dial having thereon a representation of an hour glass frame, a pair of vertically arranged connected apertures in said dial located within said frame to represent the upper and lower sand containers of said hour glass, a disc, and means to rotate said disc continuously behind said dial, said disc having a pair of bands thereon of progressively decreasing and increasing widths respectively to produce the appearance of sand draining from said upper container to said lower container.

2. In a time-keeping mechanism, a fixed dial having thereon a representation of an hour glass frame, a pair of vertically arranged connected apertures in said dial located within said frame to represent the upper and lower sand containers of said hour glass, and a disc adapted to rotate continuously behind said dial, said disc having a pair of bands thereon of progressively decreasing and increasing widths respectively to produce the appearance of sand draining from said upper container to said lower container, and means to rotate said disc once per minute.

3. In a time-keeping mechanism, a fixed dial having thereon a representation of an hour glass frame, a pair of vertically arranged connected apertures in said dial located within said frame to represent the upper and lower sand containers of said hour glass, and a disc adapted to rotate continuously behind said dial, said disc having indicia thereon to produce the appearance of sand draining from said upper container to said lower container, said disc having a pair of curved lines visible through said upper and lower apertures, respectively, said outer line progressively decreasing in width, and said inner line progressively increasing in width in the direction of rotation.

4. In a time-keeping mechanism, a fixed dial having thereon a representation of an hour glass frame, said dial having a pair of vertically arranged apertures located within said frame to represent the upper and lower sand containers of said hour glass, and means visible through said apertures adapted to move progressively behind said dial to produce the appearance of sand draining from said upper to said lower container, said means including a pair of spaced bands of progressively decreasing and increasing widths respectively.

5. In a time-keeping mechanism, a fixed dial having thereon a representation of a container and a receptacle, said container and receptacle having apertures, and means visible through said apertures adapted to move progressively behind said dial to produce the appearance of a material flowing from said container to said receptacle, said means including a band of progressively increasing width.

6. In a time-keeping device, a dial having an aperture formed therein representing a material holding container, and means movable behind said aperture to produce the appearance of the progressive filling up of said container, said means including a band of progressively increasing width.

7. In a time-keeping device, a dial having an aperture formed therein representing a material holding container, and means movable behind said aperture to produce the appearance of the progressive emptying of said container, said means including a band of progressively decreasing width.

8. In a time-keeping mechanism, a fixed dial having a pair of apertures, one of said apertures representing a container for a fluid material and the other aperture representing an object for receiving said material, and means including a pair of bands of progressively changing widths visible through said apertures adapted to move progressively behind said dial to produce the appearance of the progressive flow of material from said container to the object represented by the sec.- ond aperture.

In testimony whereof, I have afiixed my signature to this specification.

HENRY DREYFUSS. 

